The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-03-10

Worluly prosperity, ne was suliiellies uls.
MAYED, how win he feel when the last chill
creeps over him. II, while things were com,
paratively smooth he was disquieted, what
will he do in the agonies of dissolution. "lf,
in the land of peace in which he trusted, they
wearied him, what will he do amid the swell
ling of Jordanr
Oh, rejoice to know that so many of Gods
children have gone through that pass without
a shudder Some one said to dying Chris
tian: "Isn't it hard for you to get out OF this
worldr ooh, no." he says, sit is easy dying,
it is blessed dying, it is glorious dying" and
then he pointed to clock on the wall, and he
said: 1.-THE last two hours in which have been
dying have had moro joy than all the years
OF my life" A general came into the hospital
after the battle and there were many seriously
wounded, and there was one man dying, and
the general said; "Ah, my dear fellow, you
seem very much wounded, am afraid you
are not going to get we'll" NO" said the
soldier: ~ am not going to get well, but |
feel very happym Oh, have seen them, and
so have you, go out of this life without tear
on their cheek! There was weeping all round
the room, but no weeping i'll the bed; the
cheeks were dry. They were not thrown down
We saw the tides rising around them.
and the swelling of the wave. 1t
washed them off from the cares and tolls of
life; it washed them ON toward the beach of
heaven They waved to us farewell kiss as
they stood on deck, and tioated down further
and further, waited by gales from heaven,
until they were lost to our sight-mortality
having become Immortality:
"Life's duty done, as sinks the clay,
Light from its load the spirit flies;
While heaven and earth combine to say. e
How blest the righteous when he dies!"
What high consolation to you that your de-
parted friends were not submerged in the
swelling of Jordan! The lsrae)ites were just
as thoroughly alive on the western banks OF
the Jordan; as they had been on the eastern
banks of the Jordan; and our departed CHRIS
tian friends have only crossed over-not SICK,
not dead, not exhausted, not extnSulshed,
not blotted out, but with healthier respira-
ton and stouter pulses, and keener eyesiSht,
and better prospects, crossed over, their SINS,
their physical and mental disquiet, all left
clear this side an eternally flowing, lmpaSSa-
BILE obstacle between them and all human and
Satanic pursuit. Crossed over! Oh, | shake
hands of congratulation with all the bereaved
in the consideration that our departed Christ
ian friends are safe
Why was there, years ago, SO much JOY in
certain circles in New York when people
heard from their friends who were Oh board
the City of Brussels! 1t was thought that
vessel had gone to the bottom of the sea; and
when the friends on this side heard that the
steamer had arrived safely in Liverpool, had
we not the right to congratulate the people
in New York that their friends had got
safely across! And is it not right this
morning that | congratulate you that
your departed friends are safe on the
shore of heaven? Would you have them back
again! Would you have those old parents
back again! You know how hard it was some.
times for them to get their breath in the stfled
atmosphere of the summer; would you have
L. l.1 .nlaI
of our wintersl Would you have your children
back again! Would you have them
take the risk of temptations which
throng every human pathways Would
YOU have them cross the Jordan three
times. In addition to having crossed it
already, cross it again to greet you now, aud
then cross back afterward. For certainly you
would not want to keep them forever out OF
heaven. If they had lived forty or fifty years
longer, would they have been safe: Perhaps
SO, perhaps not
"Pausc and weep, not for the freed from
PAIN,
But that the sigh of love would pull them
back again"
ask a question, and there seems to come
back the answer in heavenly echo: What!
will you never be sick again!" 'Nevei-scl'
again" What! will you never be tired
again." "Never-tired--ag What! will
again What will you never die again:
acknowledgements Oh, We army of de-
parted kindred, we hail you from bank to
bank Wait for us when the Jordan of death
shall part for us. Come down and meet us
halfway between the widowed banks of earth
and the palm groves Of heaven.
"On Jordan's stormy banks stand,
And cast wistful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.
o, the transporting, rapturous scene
That rises on my sight!
j Sweet fields arrayed in living green,
And rivers of delight"
But there is one step still in advance sug
| gested by this subject. If this religion OF
| Christ is so important in life, and so import
ant in the last hours of life, how much more
important it will be in the great eternity
need not stand here and argue it. There is
| something within your soul that says now,
while | speak ~ am immortal; the stars
shall die, but | am immortal" You fell
that your existence on earth IS only
a small piece of your being. 1t is only
a mile up to the grave, but il
is ten thousand miles beyond. This slab OF
the tomb is only the milestone on which we
read of infinite distance yet to be Travelled
| The world itself will grow old and die. The
stars of our night will burn down in theil
sockets and expire. The sun, like sparl
struck from an anvil, will flash and go out
| The winds will utter their last whisper, ant
ocean heave its last groan; but yor
and I will live for ever! Gigantic
immortal Mighty to suffer or enjoy
Mighty to love or hate. Mighty to soa
or to sink Then, what will be t.
us the store, the shop, the office, the applause
of the world, the scorn of our enemies, tn
things that lifted us up, and the things tina
pressed us down. What to John Wesley are
all the mobs that howled after him! What Il
Voltaire are all the nations that applaude'
him! What to Paul, now, the dungeons tina
chilled him? What to Latimer, now
the flames that consumed him! All thos
who through the grace of Christ reac
that land, will never be disturbed
None to dispute their throne, they shall reig
for ever and ever. But, alas for those VIII
have made no preparation for the future
When the sharp shod hoofs of eternal disaste
come up painting and swift to go over them
how will they contend with horses! An
when the waves of their wretchedness rise VI
white and foamy, under the swoopng of etel
nal storms, and the pillows become NOR
wrathful and dash more high, oh what wi
they do "amid the swelling of JordanN
If | could come into your heart this morn
ing, would see that many of you, my dea
friends, had vowed to be the Lords | kno'
not what sickness it was, or what trial, but
verify believe there is not man in the hous
but has sometime vowed he would be tn
Lords. 1t might have at the time when you
child lay sick, you said: ''Oh Lord, if tho
wilt let this child get well, | will be
Christian" Or it might have been in SON
business trouble, when you have said: :"
! Lord. if thou wilt let me keep my propert,
| ! will be a Christian" You kept your pro-
erty, your child got well, the peril, passe'
Are YOU Christian? History says that lon
ago it had been announced that the wor
was coming to an end and there was gre'
excitement in London. 1t was said that Il
world would perish on a certain Frida
On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday al
Friday the people were in the cath
lral, praying and weeping. 1t seemed
Il the whole English nation was being CO.
verted to God, for it was announced as certa
by philosophers that on that coming Frida
the world would perish. Friday came, al
there were no portents, no fires in the air,
earthquakes The day passed. along just Iii
every other day, and when it was past al
the night came, it is said that in London the
was scene of riot, and wassail, al
drunkenness, and debauchery such as hi
never been witnessed. They forgot their vo'
they forgot their repentance they forg
their good resolutions. o, how much hum.
nature in that While trials and misfortun
come to us, and we are down deep in dar
ness and trouble we make VOWS. We sa
80 Lord, do so, and | will do So" The dar
| pasc r,asSaS thp paril Ooas oyyau Mo ara